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CITY COUNCIL CITY OF NEW YORK
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TRANSCRIPT OF THE MINUTES
of the
STATED MEETING
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January 23, 2020 Start: 1:17 p.m. Recess: 3:43 p.m.
HELD AT: Council Chambers - City Hall
B E F O R E: Corey Johnson Speaker
COUNCIL MEMBERS: Adrienne E. Adams Alicka Ampry-Samuel Diana Ayala Inez D. Barron Joseph C. Borelli Justin Brannan Fernando Cabrera Margaret S. Chin Costa Constantinides Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Laurie A. Cumbo Chaim M. Deutsch Ruben Diaz, Sr. Daniel Dromm Rafael L. Espinal, Jr. Mathieu Eugene Vanessa L. Gibson Mark Gjonaj Barry Grodenchik Robert Holden
World Wide Dictation 545 Saw Mill River Road – Suite 2C, Ardsley, NY 10502 Phone: 914-964-8500 * 800-442-5993 * Fax: 914-964-8470 www.WorldWideDictation.com
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Ben Kallos Andy King Peter Koo Karen Koslowitz Rory I. Lancman Brad Lander Stephen T. Levin Mark Levine Farah Louis Alan N. Maisel Steven Matteo Carlos Menchaca I. Daneek Miller Francisco Moya Bill Perkins Keith Powers Antonio Reynoso Donovan J. Richards Carlina Rivera Ydanis Rodriguez Deborah Rose Helen K. Rosenthal Rafael Salamanca, Jr. Ritchie J. Torres Mark Treyger Eric A. Ulrich Paul Vallone Jimmy Van Bramer Kalman Yeger
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A P P E A R A N C E S (CONTINUED)
STATED MEETING 4 1
2 OWEN KATOWSKI: Today is January 23,
3 2020. This the Stated Meeting. We're in the City d 4 Council Chambers, and this is Owen Katowski.
5 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: This is Clibourne,
6 burn.
7 UNIDENTIFIED: Clibourne.
8 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Ahuh,
9 [inaudible], OK. Now it's Blakeley?
10 UNIDENTIFIED: Yes, Blakeley.
11 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: OK. Hello, hello
12 everyone, good afternoon and welcome to the New York
13 City Council. I am Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo and
14 we are now going to begin the honor of our
15 proclamation ceremony. Will all members that are
16 present please come forward. We have two living
17 legends and celebrities in our midst today. We often
18 talk about and celebrate our actors, our musicians,
19 but today we have the real celebrities, the true
20 heroes of our country, and I couldn't be more proud
21 to have them both here today. I'm so proud that all
22 of my colleagues are here because this is really what
23 America and New York is really about. Today we
24 celebrate the life of a true American hero. Reverend
25 James E. Blakely was born on January 8, 1920 in
1 STATED MEETING 5
2 Arkansas and listed, and enlisted in the United
3 States Navy in September 1939. During the Pearl
4 Harbor attacks he was stationed abroad to the USS St.
5 Louis. And when we heard and he heard of what was
6 happening in Pearl Harbor he immediately sprung. Now
7 many people, when they get that call, your heart is
8 in many different places. But he answered that call
9 with such bravery, tenacity, and courage that we
10 recognize and honor that today. But on top of that
11 he has also seen in his lifetime 100 years. So let's
12 give it up for 100 years of life. [applause] It is
13 not only a blessing, but a great honor. During World
14 War II Reverend Blakely served aboard the USS
15 President Jackson in major combat operations in the
16 Pacific Theater, including the battles of
17 Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Marshall Islands and Guam,
18 helping to transport troops to the battlefield and
19 evacuate the dead and the wounded. He served in the
20 US Navy until his honorable discharge in 1945, where
21 he began a new life here in New York City. He
22 resided in my district in Fort Greene, Brooklyn for
23 many years. I understand that you do not live in my
24 district, but you moved before I became a City
25 Council member and I know you would have remained if
1 STATED MEETING 6
2 you knew I was the member. Reverend Blakely has had
3 the pleasure of sharing his stories for the last 75
4 years, continuing to inspire generations of our youth
5 with his amazing story. His perseverance and
6 determination speaks to the quality of his character.
7 We thank you for all that you do. We are honored to
8 share this incredible milestone with you. I also
9 want to honor at this special time, and we are so
10 fortunate, when we announced that this was happening
11 we found out about yet another Pearl Harbor veteran,
12 Clibourne Sowell, and he is happy to celebrate his
13 96th birthday with us here today. [applause] And
14 what a blessing it is that we have reunited these two
15 powerful, courageous and brave men here at the City
16 Council. We recognize the sacrifice that you have
17 made for our country. We are so proud, and we are
18 going to have to come back and present you with a
19 proclamation at a later date. We apologize that we
20 didn't find out about your incredible story. But
21 hopefully this will bring forward more Pearl Harbor
22 veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country.
23 So we will now turn it over. Today we are going to
24 have, ah, the proclamation read onto the record.
25
1 STATED MEETING 7
2 COMMITTEE CLERK: Council City of New
3 York Proclamation. The New York City Council is
4 proud to celebrate the 100th birthday of Reverend
5 James E. Blakely, one of the last surviving African
6 American veterans of World War II and the attack on
7 Pearl Harbor. And whereas James E. Blakely was born
8 on January 8, 1920, in Arkansas and enlisted in the
9 United States Navy in September 1939, on the morning
10 of December 7, 1941, he was stationed aboard the USS
11 St. Louis in Pearl Harbor when the call to battle
12 stations blared. The Japanese had launched a
13 surprise attack. Awoken by the all hands on deck
14 order, he began running ammunition to anti-aircraft
15 guns. Thanks to the courageous work of Reverend
16 Blakely and the other crew members, the USS St. Louis
17 evaded torpedoes and joined other vessels in the open
18 sea. When the USS St. Louis returned to Pearl Harbor
19 Reverend Blakely helped transport causalities and
20 other troops to San Francisco. The attack on Pearl
21 Harbor ended the same day it began, but it would
22 inform the rest of his life. And whereas later
23 during World War II Reverend Blakely served aboard
24 the USS President Jackson in major combat operations
25 in the Pacific Theater, including the battles of
1 STATED MEETING 8
2 Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, the Marshall Island, and Guam,
3 helping to transport troops to the battlefield and
4 evacuate the dead and wounded. And whereas in
5 October 1945, one month after the war ended, Reverend
6 Blakely was honorably discharged and began a new life
7 in New York City. For several years he worked as a
8 longshoreman in the docks under the Williamsburg
9 Bridge before accepting a maintenance position at
10 NYU. And whereas in the 75 year since World War II
11 Reverend Blakely has often shared his experience with
12 others, like his peers in the greatest generation, he
13 persevered through unprecedented and very difficult
14 years. Such perseverance is a testament to his
15 incredible strength of character and an inspiration
16 to others. Today at the age of 100 he deserves to be
17 celebrated [applause], at the age of 100 he deserves
18 to be celebrated not only for his longevity but also
19 for the tremendously positive impact he has had in so
20 many lives. He has truly earned the esteem of all
21 New Yorkers. Now therefore be it known that the New
22 York City Council gratefully honors Reverend James E.
23 Blakely and all other veterans of World War II
24 present in the chambers today for his and for their
25 extraordinary service and enduring contributions to
1 STATED MEETING 9
2 New York City and the nation. Corey Johnson, speaker
3 for the entire council, Laurie A. Cumbo, majority
4 leader, council member, 35th District, and many other
5 members of the New York City Council. [applause]
6 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Wow, what an
7 honor here today. We have two giants in our midst
8 today, and I wanted to know if anyone from either,
9 ah, Mr. Clibourne's family or Mr. Blakely's family
10 would like to speak on behalf of these two great
11 veterans that are here in our midst today.
12 REVEREND BLAKLEY: Yeah, I'm working on
13 my second one hundred, um-hmm. I [inaudible] yeah,
14 bring 'em on, boy. They didn't do anything but wake
15 up a sleeping giant [chuckles]. Yeah, God bless you
16 all.
17 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
18 [applause] Mr. Sowell, would you like to bring some
19 remarks?
20 CLIBOURNE SOWELL: [inaudible] seagoing
21 tub. I never saw the kind of action like he did.
22 But I was on my way to Pearl Harbor when the war hit,
23 so, ah, from ah, yeah, to Pearl Harbor. Then I was
24 sent to the Brooklyn Navy Yard and I was quite a few
25
1 STATED MEETING 10
2 places, and I never saw action like he did, yeah. I
3 was more on the home front. But I was there.
4 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Well, we...
5 CLIBOURNE SOWELL: Yeah, well, you just
6 take orders, that's all you did. So the places I
7 went, I'd take orders to go to this place and that
8 place, but I was only two [inaudible], just two,
9 [inaudible]. [applause]
10 REVEREND BLAKLEY: I want to tell you
11 what inspired me. That was the nurses, hospital
12 nurses, or whatever they are. And there was, there
13 were the airfield. They could have landed troops,
14 but they didn't know the damage they had done. From
15 that morning, Sunday morning, probably about five
16 minutes to eight until seven or eight o'clock in the
17 evening, I think they was probably recognizing the
18 planes coming back to see what damage they had done.
19 They had woke up a sleeping giant. [applause]
20 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: OK, that's OK.
21 Wow. And that really sums it up on so many levels.
22 But I want to say to both of you and to everyone in
23 the United States the minute you serve you express a
24 level of courageness and braveness that many of us at
25 home will never understand or know. So whatever role
1 STATED MEETING 11
2 you played in serving this country is a level of
3 courageousness that we honor and we respect, and we
4 simply love you. Thank you so much for all that you
5 have done. We are going to hear final words from Mr.
6 Sweat, who is going to speak on behalf of Mr. Blakely
7 as well and his family.
8 MR. SWEAT: The first thing I want to say
9 is give an honor to the highest in the world, the one
10 that created the world. And then I want to come done
11 to the world and honor those that are honoring these
12 two veterans, and that is thank you to the mayor's
13 office and all the dignitaries that are here today to
14 witness, to witness the oldest living veteran that is
15 a survivor of the Pearl Harbor. I want to say that
16 this is the reason why I became a veteran and many
17 other people of color serve these United States of
18 America, for our honor, for our respect, for our
19 dignity, and for our alliance to these country, this
20 country that we so diligently embodied, from the very
21 beginning of the United States Civil War which
22 elected us to come into the body of the Union Army as
23 soldiers, auxiliary, but soldiers. February 1863,
24 January Emancipation Proclamation was signed which
25 entitled us the rights. So from there we were born.
1 STATED MEETING 12
2 From the buffalo soldiers to the young Iraqi,
3 Afghanistan, Lebanon, Gulf warriors of today. We are
4 standing on these two gentlemen's back, and in
5 reality we're not even on your back, we're by your
6 side, and we' so proud because this is our dignity.
7 This is our respect. These are my fathers. These
8 are my daddies and yours too. I want to thank you.
9 Both of you. [applause]
10 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you so
11 much, and I want to thank on my staff, Arna and
12 Lauren and Jason, for making today possible, for
13 making sure this happened. Thank you so much. This
14 is really wonderful and so important. If we could
15 all come together and, and have a group photo that
16 would be wonderful, holding the proclamation. All of
17 the veterans here today please come forward. We
18 don't just honor you on Veterans Day, this is year
19 round, your service needs to be recognized. Ms.
20 Blakely? Thank you, thank you, and you are always
21 welcome at New York City Hall. [pause]
22 SERGEANT AT ARMS: Ladies and gentleman,
23 could I have your attention please. Could I please
24 have your attention, please. Quiet on the floor. At
25 this time please place all electronic devices, all
1 STATED MEETING 13
2 electronic devices to vibrate. Will all non-council
3 employees, non-council employees, please leave the
4 main floor of the chambers. We have additional
5 seating upstairs in the balcony. Thank you. Madam
6 Majority Leader.
7 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Good afternoon
8 and welcome to the Stated Meeting of January 23,
9 2020. I am Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo. For all of
10 those that can please rise for the Pledge of
11 Allegiance.
12 UNIDENTIFIED: All rise.
13 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: I pledge
14 allegiance to the flag of the United States of
15 America, and to the republic for which it stands, one
16 nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
17 justice for all. Roll call.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: Adams.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS: Very present.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Ampry-Samuel.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER AMPRY-SAMUEL: Present.
22 COUNCIL CLERK: Ayala. Barron.
23 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Present.
24 COUNCIL CLERK: Borelli. Brannan.
25 COUNCIL MEMBER BRANNAN: Here.
1 STATED MEETING 14
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Cabrera.
3 COUNCIL MEMBER CABRERA: Here.
4 COUNCIL CLERK: Chin.
5 COUNCIL MEMBER CHIN: Here.
6 COUNCIL CLERK: Cohen. Constantinides.
7 COUNCIL MEMBER CONSTANTINIDES: Present.
8 COUNCIL CLERK: Cornegy.
9 COUNCIL MEMBER CORNEGY: Here.
10 COUNCIL CLERK: Deutsch.
11 COUNCIL MEMBER DEUTSCH: Here.
12 COUNCIL CLERK: Diaz. Dromm.
13 COUNCIL MEMBER DROMM: Here.
14 COUNCIL CLERK: Espinal.
15 COUNCIL MEMBER ESPINAL: Here.
16 COUNCIL CLERK: Eugene. Gibson.
17 COUNCIL MEMBER GIBSON: Here.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: Gjonaj. Grodenchik.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER GRODENCHIK: Here.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Ayala.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER AYALA: Here.
22 COUNCIL CLERK: Holden.
23 COUNCIL MEMBER HOLDEN:
24 COUNCIL CLERK: Kallos.
25 COUNCIL MEMBER KALLOS: Here.
1 STATED MEETING 15
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Koo. Cohen.
3 COUNCIL MEMBER COHEN: Here.
4 COUNCIL CLERK: Koo.
5 COUNCIL MEMBER KOO: Present.
6 COUNCIL CLERK: Koslowitz.
7 COUNCIL MEMBER KOSLOWITZ: Here.
8 COUNCIL CLERK: Lancman.
9 COUNCIL MEMBER LANCMAN: Here.
10 COUNCIL CLERK: Lander. Levin.
11 COUNCIL MEMBER LEVIN: Here.
12 COUNCIL CLERK: Levine.
13 COUNCIL MEMBER LEVINE: Here.
14 COUNCIL CLERK: Louis.
15 COUNCIL MEMBER LOUIS: Here.
16 COUNCIL CLERK: Maisel.
17 COUNCIL MEMBER MAISEL: Here.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: Menchaca.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER MENCHACA: Presente.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Miller.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER MILLER: Present.
22 COUNCIL CLERK: Moya.
23 COUNCIL MEMBER MOYA: Present.
24 COUNCIL CLERK: Perkins.
25 COUNCIL MEMBER PERKINS: Here.
1 STATED MEETING 16
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Powers.
3 COUNCIL MEMBER POWERS: Here.
4 COUNCIL CLERK: Reynoso.
5 COUNCIL MEMBER REYNOSO: Here.
6 COUNCIL CLERK: Richards.
7 COUNCIL MEMBER RICHARDS: Present.
8 COUNCIL CLERK: Rivera.
9 COUNCIL MEMBER RIVERA: Present.
10 COUNCIL CLERK: Rodriguez. Rose.
11 Rosenthal.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER ROSENTHAL: Here.
13 COUNCIL CLERK: Salamanca. Torres.
14 Treyger.
15 COUNCIL MEMBER TREYGER: Here.
16 COUNCIL CLERK: Ulrich.
17 COUNCIL MEMBER ULRICH: Present.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: Vallone.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER VALLONE: Here.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Van Bramer.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER VAN BRAMER: Here.
22 COUNCIL CLERK: Yeger.
23 COUNCIL MEMBER YEGER: Here.
24 COUNCIL CLERK: Matteo.
25 MINORITY LEADER MATTEO: Here.
1 STATED MEETING 17
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Cumbo.
3 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Present.
4 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Here.
5 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: We have a quorum.
6 We will now have today's invocation, which will be
7 delivered by Reverend Dr. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki,
8 spiritual leader of the Buddhist Council of New York,
9 located at 376 Broadway in Manhattan. For all those
10 can rise, please rise.
11 SERGEANT AT ARMS: All rise.
12 REVEREND NAKAGAKI: So first please stand
13 with both your feet steady. Let me read the
14 meditation. Relax your body. Close your eyes
15 lightly. Breathe out and then slowly breathe in. As
16 you exhale, let go of your worries, fear, anger, and
17 grief. Then as you inhale let love, light, life, and
18 luck come to you. As we celebrate the Lunar New Year
19 this weekend, let us remember that we that we must
20 keep our mind and spirit wholesome and fresh always.
21 When our mind is good our words and actions will
22 become good. This is the year 2020, which is two-
23 zero-two-zero, peace circle, peace circle. So let us
24 practice peace and let the circle of peace expand,
25 filling our society with love, lights, life, and
1 STATED MEETING 18
2 luck. As a Hiroshima Peace Ambassador and Nagasaki
3 Peace Correspondent, I would like to remind you that
4 this year marks the 75th anniversary of Hiroshima and
5 Nagasaki bombings, which were the result of inhumane
6 weapons of mass destruction, created here in New York
7 City during the Manhattan Project. I sincerely hope
8 and pray that through our actions and words we as New
9 Yorkers can start a new Manhattan Project of peace
10 from New York this year of double peace circles.
11 [speaking in unknown language] Amen. And thank you
12 very much, and peace to you all, and Happy New Year
13 to you all. Thank you.
14 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you. Thank
15 you so much, Dr. Nakagaki. We appreciate your
16 message of peace, certainly a wonderful to begin the
17 new year. And I'd like to now call on Council Member
18 Chin to spread the invocation on the record.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER CHIN: Thank you, Majority
20 Leader. I am proud to welcome Reverend Dr. Nakagaki,
21 the president of the Buddhist Council of New York,
22 founded in 1985 to foster dialogue, cooperation, and
23 unity within the Buddhist community in the New York
24 City area, as well as to organize events that promote
25 education, a Buddhist principle, and interfaith
1 STATED MEETING 19
2 dialogue. The council's home is at 376 Broadway,
3 right in the heart of my district. Thank you for
4 your work to promote peace, dialogue, and
5 understanding for all of our community. And as we
6 begin this new Lunar New Year and a new decade we
7 will dedicate ourselves to promote peace, kindness,
8 and fairness in our city. Thank you very much.
9 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you so
10 much, Council Member Chin.
11 COUNCIL MEMBER CHIN: I would like to
12 make a motion to spread the invocation in full upon
13 the record.
14 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you again,
15 Council Member Chin. We will now have the adoption
16 of minutes by Council Member Brannan.
17 COUNCIL MEMBER BRANNAN: I'd like to make
18 a motion that the minutes of the Stated Meeting of
19 December 10, 2019, be adopted as printed.
20 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Messages and
21 papers from the mayor.
22 COUNCIL CLERK: [clears throat] Excuse
23 me. M-205, city debt and reserves.
24 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Communication
25 from city, county, and borough offices.
1 STATED MEETING 20
2 COUNCIL CLERK: On M-205, Madam Majority
3 Leader, the received ordered printed and file. M-
4 206, TLC appointment.
5 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Petitions and
6 communications.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: OK, there are no
8 communications and no petitions or communications.
9 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Land use call-
10 ups.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: M-207 through M-209.
12 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Coupled on a call-up
13 vote. And at this time I'm asking for a roll call
14 vote and all of the items on today's land use
15 calender, this is just on the land use call-up
16 calendar.
17 COUNCIL CLERK: Adams.
18 COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS: Aye.
19 COUNCIL CLERK: Ampry-Samuel.
20 COUNCIL MEMBER AMPRY-SAMUEL: Aye.
21 COUNCIL CLERK: Ayala.
22 COUNCIL MEMBER AYALA: Aye.
23 COUNCIL CLERK: Barron.
24 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: I vote aye.
25 COUNCIL CLERK: Borelli.
1 STATED MEETING 21
2 COUNCIL MEMBER BORELLI: Aye.
3 COUNCIL CLERK: Brannan.
4 COUNCIL MEMBER BRANNAN: Aye.
5 COUNCIL CLERK: Cabrera.
6 COUNCIL MEMBER CABRERA: Aye.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: Chin.
8 COUNCIL MEMBER CHIN: Aye.
9 COUNCIL CLERK: Cohen.
10 COUNCIL MEMBER COHEN: Aye.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: Constantinides.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER CONSTANTINIDES: Aye.
13 COUNCIL CLERK: Cornegy.
14 COUNCIL MEMBER CORNEGY: Aye.
15 COUNCIL CLERK: Deutsch.
16 COUNCIL MEMBER DEUTSCH: Aye.
17 COUNCIL CLERK: Diaz. Dromm.
18 COUNCIL MEMBER DROMM: Aye.
19 COUNCIL CLERK: Espinal.
20 COUNCIL MEMBER ESPINAL: Aye.
21 COUNCIL CLERK: Eugene.
22 COUNCIL MEMBER EUGENE: Aye.
23 COUNCIL CLERK: Gibson.
24 COUNCIL MEMBER GIBSON: Aye.
25 COUNCIL CLERK: Gjonaj.
1 STATED MEETING 22
2 COUNCIL MEMBER GJONAJ: Aye.
3 COUNCIL CLERK: Grodenchik.
4 COUNCIL MEMBER GRODENCHIK: Aye.
5 COUNCIL CLERK: Holden.
6 COUNCIL MEMBER HOLDEN: Aye.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: Kallos.
8 COUNCIL MEMBER KALLOS: Aye.
9 COUNCIL CLERK: King. Koo.
10 COUNCIL MEMBER KOO: Aye.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: Koslowitz.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER KOSLOWITZ:
13 COUNCIL CLERK: Lancman.
14 COUNCIL MEMBER LANCMAN: Aye.
15 COUNCIL CLERK: Lander. Levin.
16 COUNCIL MEMBER LEVIN: Aye.
17 COUNCIL CLERK: Levine.
18 COUNCIL MEMBER LEVINE: Aye.
19 COUNCIL CLERK: Louis.
20 COUNCIL MEMBER LOUIS: Aye.
21 COUNCIL CLERK: Maisel. Menchaca.
22 COUNCIL MEMBER MENCHACA: Aye.
23 COUNCIL CLERK: Miller.
24 COUNCIL MEMBER MILLER: Aye.
25 COUNCIL CLERK: Moya.
1 STATED MEETING 23
2 COUNCIL MEMBER MOYA: Aye.
3 COUNCIL CLERK: Perkins.
4 COUNCIL MEMBER PERKINS: I vote aye.
5 COUNCIL CLERK: Powers.
6 COUNCIL MEMBER POWERS: Aye.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: Reynoso.
8 COUNCIL MEMBER REYNOSO: Aye.
9 COUNCIL CLERK: Richards.
10 COUNCIL MEMBER RICHARDS: Aye.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: Rivera.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER RIVERA: Aye.
13 COUNCIL CLERK: Rodriguez.
14 COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ: Aye.
15 COUNCIL CLERK: Rose. Rosenthal.
16 COUNCIL MEMBER ROSENTHAL: Here, yes.
17 COUNCIL CLERK: Salamanca. Torres.
18 Treyger.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER TREYGER: Aye.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Ulrich.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER ULRICH: I'd like to vote
22 yes on all land use call-ups and with your
23 permission, I'd ask for unanimous consent to vote yes
24 on all coupled general orders and items on the
25 calendar. I vote aye. Thank you.
1 STATED MEETING 24
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Vallone.
3 COUNCIL MEMBER VALLONE: Aye.
4 COUNCIL CLERK: Van Bramer.
5 COUNCIL MEMBER VAN BRAMER: Aye.
6 COUNCIL CLERK: Yeger.
7 COUNCIL MEMBER YEGER: Aye.
8 COUNCIL CLERK: Matteo. Cumbo.
9 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: I vote aye.
10 COUNCIL CLERK: Speaker Johnson.
11 SPEAKER JOHNSON: I vote aye.
12 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Today's land use
13 call-ups are adopted by a vote of 45 in the
14 affirmative and zero negative. We will now have
15 communication from Speaker Corey Johnson.
16 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Thank you, Madam
17 Majority Leader. Good afternoon. I want to thank
18 everyone for being here for today's Stated Meeting.
19 On Monday I joined many of you and fellow New Yorkers
20 to celebrate and honor the life, legacy, and impact
21 of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His work,
22 as we know, is clearly not done, especially here in
23 New York City. We have segregated schools, a soaring
24 homelessness population, and an affordability crisis
25 that makes this city a struggle for many, many of our
1 STATED MEETING 25
2 citizens. We must continue his fight for equality
3 and justice here in our city and whenever we see
4 oppression. I also want to acknowledge that
5 yesterday we marked the 47th anniversary of the Roe
6 v. Wade decision by the united States Supreme Court.
7 Unfortunately, the right to choose is being
8 challenged in too many places and we must ensure it
9 remains in place for each and every American, not
10 just for those who live in New York City or New York
11 State. And as we do at every Stated Meeting, we
12 remember those we have sadly and tragically lost to
13 9/11-related illnesses. I'm sorry to say that today
14 we have four First Responders to remember. NYPD
15 Sergeant James Bast and NYPD Detective Maureen
16 O'Flaherty were both lost to 9/11-related cancer.
17 Detective O'Flaherty passed away on November 28 of
18 last year, but it was just recently announced. She
19 was 57 years old. Sergeant Bast died at the age of
20 49 years old on January 14. We also lost Alfred Clay
21 Ludlum, who served with the National Guard on
22 September 11, and Richard Edward Hanrohan, who was an
23 EMT who served down at Ground Zero. If we could all
24 pause for a moment of silence for Sergeant Bast,
25 Detective O'Flaherty, Alfred Clay Ludlum, and Richard
1 STATED MEETING 26
2 Hanrohan. [moment of silence] Thank you. I'd also
3 like to acknowledge that Monday marks International
4 Holocaust Remembrance Day. We will be commemorating
5 the millions of lives that were lost during the
6 Holocaust. Monday also marks the 75th anniversary of
7 the liberation of Auschwitz. I know that Council
8 Member Espinal just got back from a trip to Poland,
9 where he visited. We mark these occasions knowing
10 that anti-Semitism is a cancer that is infecting many
11 countries around the world, including the United
12 States, and sadly even here in New York City we have
13 seen the cancer of anti-Semitism that has been
14 spreading. Today and every day we stand with Jewish
15 New Yorkers and Jewish people around the world
16 against hate and against anti-Semitism. As we
17 continue to mourn the memories of those lost we honor
18 those who have survived the Holocaust and we are, ah,
19 and who are with us still today, and we say never
20 forget, never again. We will also be voting on an
21 important resolution in just a few moments by Council
22 Member Deutsch that commemorates Internal Holocaust
23 Remembrance Day throughout the city and a resolution
24 that promotes Holocaust education because we know
25 education is the key. The council is also sadly
1 STATED MEETING 27
2 losing a member of our administrative services
3 division. Cheryl King Lawson, who we love, is
4 retiring after a long career here. We are so
5 grateful for her service and, is she here? Is she
6 with us? Is she with us today? I don't see that she
7 is. But I really want to thank Cheryl for her long
8 service to the City Council. We wish her the best.
9 [applause] I also want to congratulate two special
10 New Yorkers who are named in this year class of
11 Baseball Hall of Famers, Derek Jeter and Marvin
12 Miller. By any standard, Derek Jeter is one of the
13 most amazing baseball players in the world. He is
14 unanimously loved by Yankees' fans and anyone who
15 appreciates the game. I want to congratulate the
16 Captain and the Yankees. And lesser known, but
17 equally powerful in how he changed baseball was
18 Marvin Miller. Miller was a Bronx-born, Brooklyn-
19 bred union leader who was instrumental in creating
20 major league baseball's Players' Associations to
21 represent major league baseball players. He gave
22 players a sense of dignity and reminded them that
23 we're not there for the sport. They were people who
24 had rights and needed protection as well. He will be
25 honored posthumously in July with Derek Jeter. New
1 STATED MEETING 28
2 York is a union town and a baseball town and we're so
3 proud of both of these men and New Yorkers. Before
4 we dive into our legislative agenda, I want to just
5 put on the record and say a big thank-you to Andy
6 Byford, the president of New York City Transit, for
7 everything he has done [applause] for our city. It
8 may be one of the toughest jobs in the world, running
9 the subways and buses, and he did an outstanding,
10 outstanding, outstanding job. Any elected official
11 who worked with him would tell you that. He got to
12 know community leaders. He showed up at the hospital
13 or in courtrooms when transit workers were assaulted.
14 He worked well with union leaders. He worked well
15 with elected officials. He rode the subways and
16 buses every single day, wearing a name tag that said
17 Hello, my name is Andy Byford. In two years he has
18 turned the system around. It is a sad day that he is
19 leaving. Ah, he felt our pain as commuters and he
20 worked to make the system better, and so I am
21 grateful to Andy. We will miss you. And last, but
22 not least, a very happy Lunar New Year, in the Year
23 of the Rat, to all of those who will be celebrating
24 on Saturday. Now let's dive into our legislative
25 agenda. Out of the Finance Committee, the council
1 STATED MEETING 29
2 will vote on the following items. A preconsidered
3 resolution that will start the legislative process
4 for approving the extension and assessment increase
5 of the downtown Flushing BID in Council Member Peter
6 Koo's district. He's worked very hard on this, and
7 Peter, we're grateful for your hard work on this. I
8 know the people of Flushing are as well. We were
9 just at the wonderful, ah, Flushing Chinese Business
10 Association dinner just a couple of weeks ago, ah,
11 and I really want to thank you for your leadership on
12 this. We're also going to be voting on an Article 11
13 property tax exemption in my district at 319-321 West
14 38th Street, which will construct 11 new affordable
15 rental units. Moving on, the council will vote on
16 the following pieces of legislation. First, the
17 council will be voting on the resolution I just spoke
18 about by Council Member Chaim Deutsch to honor the
19 Holocaust. To combat hate we need to educate. This
20 resolution is a step in that direction and so
21 important right now as we deal with this alarming
22 spate and crisis of anti-Semitic cancer that has
23 spread in our city. Preconsidered resolution 1225,
24 sponsored by Council Member Deutsch, will recognize
25 January 27, 2020, as Holocaust Remembrance Day, and
1 STATED MEETING 30
2 the week beginning on January 27, 2020 as a citywide
3 week of Holocaust education. I want to thank the
4 staff who worked on this, Balky Smerig, Leah
5 Scripiak, and Kevin Kotowski. Now, next we have a
6 piece from the Civil Service and Labor Committee, and
7 this is by our chair, Chair Daneek Miller,
8 Introduction 1785, a very important piece of
9 legislation. I want to congratulate you, Daneek, on
10 this really important bill, which will extend health
11 insurance coverage benefits to surviving family
12 members of deceased municipal employees who died as a
13 natural and proximate result of an accident or injury
14 sustained while performing duties for the city or who
15 died because of a condition related to the attack on
16 9/11. I want to thank the staff who worked on this,
17 Nuchat Chowdhury, Kevin Kotowski, and Kendall
18 Stevenson. Next, the council will vote on a
19 government operations piece of legislation by our
20 Government Operations chair, Fernando Cabrera.
21 Introduction 991, which will authorize the Office of
22 Administrative Trials and Hearings to dismiss a
23 violation enforced by the New York City Taxi and
24 Limousine Commission pertaining to a defective
25 vehicle light or lights. OATH may dismiss the
1 STATED MEETING 31
2 violation as long as the driver or owner has fixed
3 the light no later than one day after being issued a
4 violation and provided proof of correction, such as a
5 statement of correction issued by a state inspection
6 authority or auto repair shop, along with the TLC
7 summonses to the TLC, and I want to thank the staff,
8 Daniel Collins, Elizabeth Cronk, and Emily Forgione.
9 The council will also vote on a bill to protect
10 consumers who may want to pay in cash. Increasingly,
11 retail and food stores have refused to accept cash
12 and allow for only credit or debit transactions.
13 This practices punishes the under-banked. We don't
14 live in a one-size-fits-all city. Our economy needs
15 to be open to all New Yorkers. Introduction number
16 1281, sponsored by Council Member Ritchie Torres, who
17 has worked very hard on this for the last year, would
18 prohibit food and retail establishments from refusing
19 to accept cash from consumers. This bill would also
20 prohibit establishments from charging cash-paying
21 consumers a higher price than those using a credit or
22 debit card, and I want to thank the staff, Balky
23 Smerig and Lia Scripiak for their work on this.
24 Next, the council will vote on a bill to address the
25 lack of affordable diverse retail space and
1 STATED MEETING 32
2 prevalence of storefront vacancies in the city. The
3 rise in commercial rents and the increased presence
4 of large chain stores is felt most acutely by our
5 city's small businesses and the retail crisis we see
6 in empty storefronts across New York City. To
7 understand the problem of vacancies and challenges
8 faced by mom and pops, the council passed a series of
9 local laws last year to gather data on the city's
10 commercial retail environment. We will continue to
11 work on legislation to address small business
12 concerns and we have Introduction number 1408-B,
13 sponsored by Council Member Rafael Espinal, which
14 will require the city to conduct a neighborhood
15 retail needs assessment for sizable development
16 projects that receive significant financial
17 assistance from the city. Where a need is
18 determined, commercial space could be offered at
19 below-market rent to small businesses that meet such
20 needs for goods and services in the neighborhood, and
21 I want to the staff who worked on this, Stephanie
22 Jones and Noah Miksler. Finally, the council will be
23 voting on a package of legislation that aims to close
24 loopholes in our city's lead laws. Sadly, the days
25 of lead poisoning are not over in New York and it
1 STATED MEETING 33
2 should be, because lead poisoning is entirely
3 preventable. Although New York City banned the use
4 of lead paint in 1960, we are still seeing cases of
5 New Yorkers who are impacted by the effects of lead
6 in buildings. This is especially true of children
7 who are most at risk with problems associated with
8 lead. In 2018 nearly 4000 children, 4000 children,
9 were flagged for elevated blood lead levels. That is
10 unacceptable. That is why the council took immediate
11 action last March to pass 10 piece of lead-related
12 legislation designed to strengthen the city's Local
13 Law 1 of 2004 by our colleague, who has always been a
14 leader on this, Council Member Bill Perkins, who
15 deserves an enormous amount of credit for his
16 leadership. It's also known as the Childhood Lead
17 Poisoning Prevention Act. There is no safe lead
18 level and the following laws we hope keep pace with
19 the most up-to-date practices and standards to better
20 protect New York families, especially children. The
21 first bill, Introduction number 420-B, sponsored by
22 Council Member Costa Constantinides, will focus on
23 the issue of lead in our parks throughout New York
24 City. This bill would require the Parks Department
25 to test for lead concentration levels in areas of
1 STATED MEETING 34
2 parks under DPR jurisdiction that contain exposed
3 soil and are used for active play or passive
4 recreation whenever a capital project occurs in such
5 area. If the test finds that a bare soil area has a
6 lead level at or above the level set forth in Title
7 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, DPR must
8 cover, replace, or otherwise remediate the area. I
9 want to Christopher Sartori for his work on that
10 bill. The second bill, Introduction number 904-A,
11 sponsored by Council Member Carlina Rivera, targets
12 the issue of lead in pregnant persons. For pregnant
13 persons who test positive for an elevated blood lead
14 level the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
15 would be required to conduct an investigation to
16 identify the potential sources of their elevated
17 blood lead level. The bill would require the agency
18 to monitor the child after birth for elevated blood
19 lead levels and to proactively assess whether the
20 apartment where the child resides contains any lead
21 paint hazards or unsafe lead paint conditions. DOHMH
22 would also be required to conduct outreach to new and
23 expecting parents regarding the availability of
24 inspections for peeling paint or deteriorated
25 subsurface or underlying defects in their apartment
1 STATED MEETING 35
2 and to provide them with information about blood lead
3 testing for children, unsafe construction or
4 renovation work practices, and the availability of
5 inspections for such practices. I want to thank the
6 staff who worked on this, Zeamanuel Halu, Megan Chen,
7 Tizir Nasar, and Austin Branford. Next, Introduction
8 919-A, sponsored by Council Member Ritchie Torres,
9 would require that within five years of the bill's
10 effective date, or one year of a child moving in, a
11 thorough inspection of a dwelling unit be conducted
12 by an EPA-certified inspector and include a specified
13 inspection protocol. It would also require home
14 improvement contractors to show that they are EPA
15 certified to ensure they are prepared to follow lead-
16 based paint-related safety standards. Next,
17 Introduction number 891-A, sponsored by Council
18 Member Steve Levin, would expand the meaning of
19 multiple dwelling for the purposes of lead laws to
20 also include private dwellings where at least one
21 unit is not owner occupied. As currently drafted,
22 the requirements to investigate and remediate lead
23 hazards in dwellings only apply to multiple
24 dwellings, excluding certain smaller buildings where
25 residents may still be at risk of lead exposure.
1 STATED MEETING 36
2 This bill would result in the smaller buildings being
3 held to a similar standard, protecting more people.
4 And finally Introduction number 873-A, sponsored by
5 Council Member Margaret Chin, would require schools
6 under the Department of Education jurisdiction to
7 conduct regular surveys and inspections of certain
8 spaces for lead paint, of lead-based paint hazards,
9 the results of which would be made publicly available
10 and delivered to parents and guardians. The bill
11 would also require HPD when conducting certain
12 inspections to determine whether there has been a
13 violation of the requirement to remediate lead
14 hazards when a unit turns over. Further, it would
15 establish a presumption that a building owner who is
16 unable to provide a record of having remediated lead
17 hazards at turnover has violated the requirement to
18 do so. I just want to reiterate for the council
19 members here and for anyone who may be watching the
20 staff at the City Council is the best staff. We have
21 the smartest lawyers and policy analysts, and Tirza
22 and Austin and Zay and Megan and Jeff and Laura and
23 everyone who worked on these bills have been working
24 on these bills for longer than two years. We did a
25 package a year ago. We're doing a package now.
1 STATED MEETING 37
2 They're working on another package. They have been
3 relentless in trying to protect the most number of
4 children possible in New York City by pushing the
5 envelope on these bills and the staff that has worked
6 on this, I want to, they don't know the number of
7 kids that they've protected through their incredible
8 hard work, and I want to give the staff here a round
9 of applause for their work on this lead paint package
10 that they've done [applause], the second package of
11 work in helping children across New York City. I
12 want to thank all of them. And with that, Madam
13 Majority Leader, I turn it back to you.
14 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you,
15 Speaker Corey Johnson. We'll now move into
16 discussion of general orders. As no members have
17 signed up, seeing none, report of special committees.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: None.
19 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Reports of
20 standing committees.
21 COUNCIL CLERK: Report of the Committee
22 on Civil Service and Labor, Intro 1785, health
23 insurance.
24 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Coupled on general
25 orders.
1 STATED MEETING 38
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Report of the Committee
3 on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing, Intro
4 1281, cashless payments.
5 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Amended and coupled on
6 general orders.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: Report of the Committee
8 on Environmental Protection, Intro 420-B, soil lead
9 testing.
10 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Amended and coupled on
11 general orders.
12 COUNCIL CLERK: Report of the Committee
13 on Finance, preconsidered Reso 1227, Flushing BID.
14 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Coupled on general
15 orders.
16 COUNCIL CLERK: Preconsidered Reso 1220-
17 A, transparency resolution.
18 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Coupled on general
19 orders.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Preconsidered LU 602 and
21 Reso 1232, tax exemption.
22 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Coupled on general
23 orders.
24
25
1 STATED MEETING 39
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Report of the Committee
3 on Governmental Operations, Intro 991-C, OATH
4 violations.
5 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Amended and coupled on
6 general orders.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: Report of the Committee
8 on Health, Intro 1904-A, lead in pregnant persons.
9 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Amended and coupled on
10 general orders.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: Report of the Committee
12 on Housing and Buildings, Intros 873-a, 891-A, and
13 919-A, lead-based paint removal.
14 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Amended and coupled on
15 general orders.
16 COUNCIL CLERK: Report of the Committee
17 on Small Business, Intro 1408-B, retail space.
18 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Amended and coupled on
19 general orders.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: On the general order
21 calendar, resolution appointing various persons,
22 Commissioner of Deeds.
23 SPEAKER JOHNSON: Coupled on general
24 orders. And at this time I'm asking for a roll call
25
1 STATED MEETING 40
2 vote on all of the items on today's general order
3 calendar.
4 COUNCIL CLERK: Adams.
5 COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS: With particular
6 congratulations to my colleague, I. Daneek Miller, on
7 the passage of Intro 1785, I vote aye on all.
8 COUNCIL CLERK: Ampry-Samuel.
9 COUNCIL MEMBER AMPRY-SAMUEL: Aye on all.
10 COUNCIL CLERK: Ayala.
11 COUNCIL MEMBER AYALA: Aye on all.
12 COUNCIL CLERK: Barron.
13 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: I vote aye on
14 all.
15 COUNCIL CLERK: Borelli.
16 COUNCIL MEMBER BORELLI: Aye on all,
17 except Intros 1281 and 1408.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: Brannan.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER BRANNAN: Aye.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Cabrera.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER CABRERA: Permission to
22 explain my vote?
23 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Granted.
24 COUNCIL MEMBER CABRERA: I'll make it
25 really, really short, but I want us to, ah, remember
1 STATED MEETING 41
2 our fellow Puerto Ricans. I just got back from
3 Puerto Rico last week. Especially Guanica and the
4 surrounding towns, the areas were devastated.
5 They're still in need of help, ah, but especially
6 mental health, ah, chaplains and the sort, so let's
7 please remember them and I appreciate everyone who
8 supported my bill, 0991, to help our taxi drivers,
9 and my congratulations to all my colleagues. Thank
10 you so much.
11 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
12 COUNCIL CLERK: Chin.
13 COUNCIL MEMBER CHIN: I first wanted to,
14 um, wish everyone a happy and healthy Lunar New Year,
15 invite all of you to come down to my district to
16 celebrate, and I vote aye on all. Thank you.
17 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: Cohen.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER COHEN: Aye.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Constantinides.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER CONSTANTINIDES: Aye on
22 all.
23 COUNCIL CLERK: Cornegy.
24 COUNCIL MEMBER CORNEGY: Aye.
25 COUNCIL CLERK: Deutsch.
1 STATED MEETING 42
2 COUNCIL MEMBER DEUTSCH: Permission?
3 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
4 granted.
5 COUNCIL MEMBER DEUTSCH: Thank you. Ah,
6 Reso 1225, ah, will for the second year in a row
7 acknowledge International Holocaust Remembrance Day
8 in New York City on January 27th. Additionally, it
9 will establish a citywide week of Holocaust
10 education, urging educators and parents to broach the
11 subject with their students and children. Growing up
12 as the son of Holocaust survivors it was ingrained my
13 identity that my parents had lived through
14 unimaginable horrors. Although, like many survivors,
15 they didn't often talk about specifics, their
16 experiences during the war had a significant impact
17 on our family. Knowledge of the atrocities that my
18 parents and millions of others suffered through is,
19 just a generation ago, is ever-present on my mind.
20 It is an extremely personal endeavor of mine to
21 ensure that our children, our grandchildren, and the
22 future generations never forget what happened during
23 the Holocaust. We all know the saying, those who did
24 not learn history are doomed to repeat. Baseless
25 hatred, unfounded bias, and anti-Semitism were all
1 STATED MEETING 43
2 factors in what eventually lead to a genocide of six
3 million Jews. As the generation that lived through
4 the war and is dwindling, and at a time when we are
5 seeing a rise in violent anti-Semitism, it is more
6 important than ever that we face this crisis head on.
7 We have a duty to ensure that young people are
8 knowledgeable about the Holocaust. If you want to
9 equip the next generation with tools they need to
10 fight bigotry and build a peaceful future, then we
11 need to educate them about the consequences of
12 prejudice and mistreating others. We cannot afford
13 to lose the memories of those who survived the
14 Holocaust. The lessons of the past are lessons for
15 the future. Thank you to my Jewish Caucus
16 colleagues, particularly Council Member Karen
17 Koslowitz, for their partnership on this legislation.
18 Thank you, Speaker Johnson, for your consistent
19 efforts to increase Holocaust education and fighting
20 anti-Semitism. Thank you.
21 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: How do you vote,
22 Council Member?
23 COUNCIL MEMBER DEUTSCH: Aye on all.
24 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
25 COUNCIL CLERK: Diaz. Dromm.
1 STATED MEETING 44
2 COUNCIL MEMBER DROMM: Aye.
3 COUNCIL CLERK: Espinal.
4 COUNCIL MEMBER ESPINAL: Permission to
5 explain my vote?
6 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
7 granted.
8 COUNCIL MEMBER ESPINAL: Thank you.
9 We're voting today on Intro 1408, which will mandate
10 affordable rents for commercial space and affordable
11 housing developments. This legislation is a part of
12 a broader conversation around how to keep rents
13 affordable for small businesses in New York City.
14 Just as we have set-asides to address affordability
15 crisis for tenants, we must have set-asides to tackle
16 the growing vacancy crisis for small businesses.
17 When developers receive tax breaks for building
18 affordable housing they can still turn large profits
19 by renting out ground floor commercial space to big
20 box stores and chains, instead of our local mom and
21 pops. While a neighborhood may gain more affordable
22 units, the commercial spaces in these new
23 developments can lead to secondary displacement
24 because of the strain they create on local
25 businesses. Affordable housing developers have to
1 STATED MEETING 45
2 take a holistic approach to what their footprint in
3 the neighborhood is going to be. These developments
4 give opportunities for low and middle income
5 residents to stay put in their communities and should
6 be offering the same stability to small businesses.
7 In order to protect the integrity of our city we have
8 an obligation to protect all of those who contribute
9 to its rich cultural landscape. With that said, I
10 vote aye.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: Eugene.
12 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
13 COUNCIL CLERK: Eugene. Eugene.
14 COUNCIL MEMBER EUGENE: I vote aye.
15 COUNCIL CLERK: Gibson.
16 COUNCIL MEMBER GIBSON: I vote aye on
17 all.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: Gjonaj.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER GJONAJ: Pass.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Grodenchik.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER GRODENCHIK: I vote aye on
22 all, and I want to thank my colleague and the chair
23 of the Jewish Caucus, Chaim Deutsch, for his words
24 today. He is the son of survivors. Regrettably, in
25 my family there were none, except for the people who
1 STATED MEETING 46
2 lived already here in the United States. So we
3 remember the Holocaust and may the memory of the six
4 million always be for a blessing. With that, I vote
5 aye on all.
6 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: Holden.
8 COUNCIL MEMBER HOLDEN: Aye on all.
9 COUNCIL CLERK: Kallos.
10 COUNCIL MEMBER KALLOS: Aye on all.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: King. Koo.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER KOO: Aye on all, and also
13 want to wish everyone a happy Lunar New Year. If you
14 have time, you can come to join our parade this
15 Saturday at 11:00 a.m. on Union Street, Flushing, of
16 Union and 37th Avenue. Thank you.
17 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
18 COUNCIL CLERK: Koslowitz.
19 COUNCIL MEMBER KOSLOWITZ: Aye.
20 COUNCIL CLERK: Lancman.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER LANCMAN: Aye.
22 COUNCIL CLERK: Lander. Levin.
23 COUNCIL MEMBER LEVIN: Permission to
24 explain my vote?
25
1 STATED MEETING 47
2 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
3 granted.
4 COUNCIL MEMBER LEVIN: I want to thank
5 Speaker Johnson and my colleagues and all staff on
6 the lead legislation that we're passing today. I
7 want to acknowledge Council Member Bill Perkins for,
8 ah, for sponsoring the bill in 2004, which really
9 demonstrated that thoughtful and aggressive city
10 legislation out of this body can have a real impact.
11 Um, if you look at the data the key inflection point
12 over the last 25 years was in fact that legislation
13 in 2004, which changed how this city addresses lead
14 poisoning. Um, in fact, it followed on a prior
15 legislation from only five years earlier, but really,
16 um, changed the paradigm and what we're doing today
17 is building on that because, as the speaker said,
18 lead poisoning is entirely preventable. There's not
19 a single, there's no reason whatsoever why a child
20 should have lead exposure. Lead has been banned in
21 this city for 60 years and it's been banned
22 nationally for close to 40 years, or over 40 years.
23 So there's no reason in the world why a child should
24 be exposed to lead. It's some, every place that a
25 child is exposed to lead somebody is responsible for
1 STATED MEETING 48
2 cleaning that up. Somebody was responsible prior to
3 that lead poisoning for cleaning it up. So we're
4 here today to day that we're going to continue, this
5 body is going to continue until, um, lead poisoning
6 is eradicated here in New York City. I also want to
7 acknowledge my colleague, Chaim Deutsch, on his
8 resolution recognizing Holocaust Remembrance Day and
9 Holocaust Education in New York City Week. It is
10 vitally important that our young people understand
11 what happened in the Holocaust, see it in the context
12 of genocides throughout history, knowing that
13 genocides continue up until this day and, um, around
14 the world, and so, um, it is, it is, ah, it's
15 incredibly important that we do not, those of us that
16 don't know the past are doomed to repeat it. So we
17 must always continue to educate our children. Thank
18 you very much. I vote aye on all.
19 COUNCIL CLERK: Levine.
20 COUNCIL MEMBER LEVINE: I vote aye on
21 all.
22 COUNCIL CLERK: Louis.
23 COUNCIL MEMBER LOUIS: Aye on all.
24 COUNCIL CLERK: Maisel.
25 COUNCIL MEMBER MAISEL: Yes.
1 STATED MEETING 49
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Menchaca.
3 COUNCIL MEMBER MENCHACA: Aye.
4 COUNCIL CLERK: Miller.
5 COUNCIL MEMBER MILLER: Permission to
6 explain my vote, please?
7 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
8 granted.
9 COUNCIL MEMBER MILLER: Thank you, Madam
10 Majority Leader. Madam Majority Leader, Dr. King
11 said that all labor that uplifts humanity has dignity
12 and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
13 1785 is how we honor this excellence. Intro 1785 is
14 how this city demonstrates its value and how we as a
15 city value the service of every single one of our
16 municipal employees, particularly the brave civilian
17 responders who answered the call of 9/11.
18 Introduction 1785 extends health insurance benefits
19 to the spouse and children of any municipal employee
20 killed while performing their duties. It also
21 recognizes the heroic efforts of civilian workers who
22 answered the call on 9/11 by providing health
23 benefits to the families should they contract a
24 condition developed as a result of the loss of their
25 loved ones from 9/11. The passage of this bill is a
1 STATED MEETING 50
2 big win for the dedicated municipal work force that
3 makes the city run each and every day and it assures
4 that all of our dedicated civilian civil servants
5 will have the peace of mind that they richly deserve
6 by knowing that their families will be cared for and
7 provided the health insurance and it will endure if
8 the tragedy should strike in the course of their
9 duty. I'd like to thank Speaker Johnson, um, my
10 colleagues for voting on this, and the members of the
11 Civil Service and Labor team, Malcolm, Nizak,
12 Kendall, Kevin, and Brandon. Thank you so much, and
13 I implore my colleagues to vote yes.
14 COUNCIL CLERK: Moya.
15 COUNCIL MEMBER MOYA: Aye.
16 COUNCIL CLERK: Perkins.
17 COUNCIL MEMBER PERKINS: I want to vote
18 aye on all, and also express appreciate for the
19 Speaker recognizing the horror of lead paint
20 poisoning in our communities and look forward to
21 continuing to work with him and my colleagues and
22 this council to make sure that all our children and
23 families are safe from that tragic experience that so
24 many have experienced. Thank you.
25 COUNCIL CLERK: Miller.
1 STATED MEETING 51
2 COUNCIL MEMBER MILLER: Aye.
3 COUNCIL CLERK: Powers.
4 COUNCIL MEMBER POWERS: Aye.
5 COUNCIL CLERK: Reynoso. Richards.
6 COUNCIL MEMBER RICHARDS: Aye.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: Rivera.
8 COUNCIL MEMBER RIVERA: Permission to
9 explain my vote?
10 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
11 granted.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER RIVERA: Just want to
13 thank, um, everyone for their support as we are
14 approving and voting on these next lead bills. It's
15 shocking that in 2020 children and families in New
16 York City are still being exposed to poisonous levels
17 of lead, but this council has taken real leadership
18 to combat this failure with passing bill after bill,
19 and I'm so thankful to the speaker, to the staff
20 here, especially, ah, Zay, to Jason Goldman, to my
21 legislative director, Jeremy Unger, and as co-chair
22 of the Women's Caucus I'm proud that we're voting on
23 this bill that will ensure that the city conducts
24 thorough investigations when pregnant mothers test
25 positive. I am looking forward to a lead-free NYC.
1 STATED MEETING 52
2 And congratulations to all my colleagues with bills
3 in this package as well, and to the many others that
4 we'll be passing today. Thank you so much. I vote
5 aye on all.
6 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
7 COUNCIL CLERK: Rodriguez.
8 COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ: I will get
9 back.
10 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: You'll pass.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: Rose. Rosenthal.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER ROSENTHAL: Um, with
13 gratitude to my colleagues, Council Member Chin and
14 Council Member Koo, for, ah, the very, um, delicious
15 way of celebrating the Chinese New York. Thank you
16 for that. And congratulations to all my colleagues
17 with the lead bills, extraordinary, to Council Member
18 Rivera and others, and also with gratitude to my
19 colleague, Council Member Torres, for his bill on,
20 um, ah, no longer, ah, allowing cashless food
21 establishments. I appreciate his work on that. So
22 with that I still vote aye on all.
23 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
24 COUNCIL CLERK: Salamanca. Torres.
25 COUNCIL MEMBER TORRES: Aye on all.
1 STATED MEETING 53
2 COUNCIL CLERK: Treyger.
3 COUNCIL MEMBER TREYGER: Permission to
4 explain my vote?
5 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
6 granted.
7 COUNCIL MEMBER TREYGER: Ah, so, just
8 building on comments by Council Member Rosenthal to
9 commend the leadership of Council Member Chin and Koo
10 as well, not just for the celebration we have the in
11 council for the Lunar New Year, but I remember when I
12 was still a teacher and we had a policy in place
13 where I had to mark students absent for observing
14 their holiday, and thanks to leaders like council
15 members Chin and Koo, ah, we now have an official
16 holiday for schools on the Lunar New Year, and I just
17 want to publicly say that and thank them for their
18 leadership and for their support. Also, on the issue
19 of lead, it was this council that stood up and
20 demanded that not just certain classrooms, but common
21 spaces in schools were tested as well, so this
22 council will be very proud on its record of
23 protecting children in the City of New York, and to
24 my colleague, Council Member Torres, who continues to
25 speak up for the voiceless and continues to make sure
1 STATED MEETING 54
2 that all people are heard N I just commend him and
3 all my colleagues on their bills. And with that I
4 vote aye.
5 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
6 COUNCIL CLERK: Vallone.
7 COUNCIL MEMBER VALLONE: Aye on all.
8 COUNCIL CLERK: Van Bramer. Yeger.
9 COUNCIL MEMBER YEGER: May I be excused
10 to explain my vote?
11 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
12 granted.
13 COUNCIL MEMBER YEGER: Thank you, Madam
14 Majority Leader.
15 COUNCIL MEMBER YEGER: Thank you, Madam
16 President. Today we are voting on Intro 1281, ah,
17 and I agree with some of the aspects of what the bill
18 intends to accomplish. I don't think any store
19 anywhere in the United States should refuse to accept
20 American currency. I also don't think that it's our
21 job to tell businesses in the city how to run. And I
22 really don't know what it is that we think happened
23 when we were loaned the titles that by the people
24 that we represent that makes us think that we have
25 the right to tell businesses how to run on matters
1 STATED MEETING 55
2 not related to public health, public safety, but
3 simply our own preference for what we think is smart
4 or right or fair, or nondiscriminatory. For example,
5 I like Coca-Cola. Many people do. I walk into a
6 store, they only sell Pepsi. Are we going to rely,
7 are we going to require that they now carry Coke?
8 Walk into a restaurant, they don't have butter on the
9 table. Am I going to require that they do? Or what
10 if they only have butter on table? Are we going to
11 make sure that we take care of those who can't take
12 lactose and have margarine instead? We're inserting
13 ourselves into the business of business in a way that
14 we don't have the right to do, in my opinion,
15 although obviously based on the vote tally there are
16 a number of people here who believe otherwise. But I
17 also want to, in the last couple of seconds that I
18 have, point out that the first penalty imposed on a
19 business that fails to comply with this law is no
20 more than $1000. The second penalty and thereafter
21 is $1500. So, as we know, the City of New York never
22 weaponizes our statutes. They surely will never take
23 one of our statutes and walk around the city looking
24 for businesses that aren't complying so that they can
25 slam them with a $1000 ticket just for walking in the
1 STATED MEETING 56
2 door. And I look forward to 10 months from now, one
3 money after the nine months, when we start getting
4 the calls from the businesses that are getting
5 slammed with these summonses. With that, Madam
6 President, I vote aye on all, with the exception of
7 Intro 1281. Thank you.
8 COUNCIL CLERK: Van Bramer.
9 COUNCIL MEMBER VAN BRAMER: Aye on all.
10 COUNCIL CLERK: Matteo.
11 MINORITY LEADER MATTEO: No on 1408, no
12 on 1281, and permission to vote yes on all land use
13 call-ups. Thank you.
14 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
15 granted.
16 COUNCIL CLERK: Gjonaj.
17 COUNCIL MEMBER GJONAJ: Permission to
18 explain my vote?
19 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
20 granted.
21 COUNCIL MEMBER GJONAJ: First, I want to
22 congratulate Council Members Chin and Koo and wishing
23 all a happy Lunar New Year. I also remind all of my
24 colleagues that we must keep the people of Puerto
25 Rico in our hearts and prayers. They're still
1 STATED MEETING 57
2 recovering from the hurricane and now to be faced
3 with a second natural disaster, um, the people of
4 Puerto Rico need our help and our assistance and I
5 hope that we will rise to the occasion again by
6 opening our doors for those that are seeking relief
7 here in the City of New York. I want to congratulate
8 Council Member Chaim Deutsch on the remembrance of
9 the Holocaust. We need to be reminded of this, to
10 never allow it to happen again. So to the Jewish
11 community, we will always remember the tragedies and
12 the atrocities that were committed against you. As
13 we move forward to a lead-free New York City, I am
14 pleased to see that we have not excluded NYCHA from
15 this requirement. NYCHA is the single-largest
16 landlord and we have more children that are being
17 poisoned by lead paint in NYCHA facilities than any
18 other properties out there. So I am not only pleased
19 to see that they're included and going to be held to
20 the same standard and accountability as we protect
21 all of our children, but most importantly the most
22 vulnerable and those are the residents of NYCHA
23 facilities. I echo some of the concerns of 20, 1281-
24 A, and not that the intentions are not good. But the
25 penalty that these small businesses are always
1 STATED MEETING 58
2 subject to for not complying with rules they may not
3 be aware of, and I caution my colleagues in trying to
4 do good that we often find ourselves punishing and
5 penalizing the very groups that we're looking to
6 protect, and that's our small businesses. So I do
7 support 1281 in the intentions. I just remind all of
8 the penalties associated and we should further give
9 warning before we give punishment or fines. So I
10 vote all on aye.
11 COUNCIL CLERK: Rodriguez.
12 COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ: Permission to
13 explain my vote?
14 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Permission
15 granted.
16 COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ: First of all,
17 thank you Council Member Bill Perkins for being a
18 pioneer on what we are extending today, the removal
19 of lead paint. I remember being an activist, not a
20 Council Member, and being here at this step facing a
21 lot of opposition from real estate, having the
22 lawyers and other Manhattan Improvement Corporation
23 that worked with you and the council at that time to
24 draft a bill to remove lead paint from residential
25 building. Now we are extending what you started, and
1 STATED MEETING 59
2 I feel that we have the big responsibility to also
3 make NYCHA accountable for the removal of the lead
4 paint to be done by professionals, to be done by
5 professionals. We did it when we include the law
6 that made HPD, they made everyone who do removal of
7 lead paint from residential being done by
8 professional. But we didn't use the same language on
9 the NYCHA part. So we need to be sure that when lead
10 is identified in any NYCHA apartments those worker
11 has to be trained or retrained to be sure that
12 they're doing a proper job. So let's continue
13 expanding that requirement for all lead paint to be
14 removed by professional, and with that I vote aye.
15 COUNCIL CLERK: Cumbo. I vote aye.
16 COUNCIL CLERK: Speaker Johnson.
17 SPEAKER JOHNSON: I vote aye.
18 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you. All
19 items on today's general order calendar are adopted
20 by a vote of 46 in the affirmative, zero negative,
21 and zero abstentions. With the exception of Intro
22 1281-A, which was adopted by a vote of 43 in the
23 affirmative, 3 negative, and zero abstentions. And
24 Intro 1408-B, which was adopted by a vote of 44 in
25 the affirmative, 2 negative, and zero abstentions.
1 STATED MEETING 60
2 The revised land use call-ups vote 46 in the
3 affirmative and zero negative. Introduction and
4 reading of bills.
5 SPEAKER JOHNSON: All bills have been
6 referred to committees, as indicated on today's
7 agenda.
8 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you. We
9 will now move into the discussion of resolutions. If
10 members have signed up to discuss today's resolutions
11 we will call on them at this time. Members have
12 yielded their time for the resolutions and now I will
13 go right into reading today's resolution into the
14 record. Members who wish to vote against or abstain
15 on today's resolution should register your vote with
16 the clerks at the dais. Preconsidered resolution
17 1225, resolution recognizing January 27, 2020, as
18 Holocaust Remembrance Day and the week beginning on
19 January 27, 2020, as a citywide of Holocaust
20 education in New York City. All in favor say aye.
21 [chorus of ayes]
22 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: All opposed.
23 Abstentions. The ayes have it. We will now move
24 into general discussion, and we will begin with
25 Council Member Torres.
1 STATED MEETING 61
2 COUNCIL MEMBER TORRES: Thank you, Madam
3 Majority Leader. I just want to respond to the
4 comments from my colleague, Council Member Treyger,
5 Yeger, I'm sorry. There is a huge difference.
6 First, I think the notion of questioning government's
7 right to regulate business is just simply an
8 absurdity. There are regulations of business at
9 every level. I would encourage my colleague to
10 familiarize himself with the modern administrative
11 state. The question is is the regulation in question
12 have a rational basis? Is it arbitrary and
13 capricious? The fact is here in New York City There
14 are 780,000 people who are under-banked, right.
15 There are hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who
16 have no bank accounts, who have no access to debit or
17 credit and therefore have no means of purchasing
18 goods and services in an increasingly cashless
19 marketplace. And so insuring that those vulnerable
20 New Yorkers have access to goods and services in a
21 marketplace, in public accommodations, is a
22 legitimate policy goal. I will confess to you, it is
23 an expression of my policy preferences, because
24 that's what we do in our society. Most of the laws
25 we enact are an expression of our policy preferences
1 STATED MEETING 62
2 and our values, so I'm, I'm quite confused by what I
3 took to be just an attack on my integrity as a
4 legislator. This was a good-faith attempt to ensure
5 that more people have access to goods and services
6 and this bill was carefully crafted. If there were
7 businesses that have grown accustomed to a cashless
8 business model, we allow those businesses the option
9 of installing a cash conversion machine so that they
10 can contain to retain the efficiency benefits that
11 come with a cashless business model. So this was
12 carefully crafted. This bill strikes a thoughtful
13 balance between equity and efficiency. And I stand
14 by it, so thank you.
15 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you,
16 Council Member Torres. We will go to Council Member
17 Koo.
18 COUNCIL MEMBER KOO: Thank you, Majority
19 Leader. Today I am introducing a resolution, Reso
20 1229, calling the federal government to pass the
21 Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2019. This bill will
22 close a loophole in the Trial Citizenship Act of 2000
23 that prevents international, internationally adopted
24 children from receiving US citizenship, despite being
25 legally adopted by US citizens. This issue concerns
1 STATED MEETING 63
2 adoptees from all countries in America, and in
3 particular those from Korea, as they account for one
4 of the largest internationally adoptive groups in
5 this country. Many adoptees who grew up in America
6 homes, in American families, never even knew they
7 weren't American citizens until they applied for a
8 job. Then, to add insult to injury, many learned
9 they could even be deported. Indeed, many have been
10 deported. Often the reasoning behind the lack of
11 status are simple oversights or missing documents.
12 And while the government attempted to rectify this
13 issue in the past, it left out those children who had
14 already turned 18 by the time the law went into
15 effect. Simply put, we need to put an end to this
16 injustice. I ask my colleagues to join me in
17 supporting this resolution calling for the passage of
18 the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2017 so that we can
19 finally give our adopted Americans the support
20 citizenship they deserve. We have in our presence
21 Ms. [Mijin] Kim. He is president of New Zealand
22 Korean American Heritage and he is also, she is also
23 a former president of Korean American Association of
24 Greater New York. Thank you.
25
1 STATED MEETING 64
2 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you so
3 much. We'll now hear from Council Members Barron,
4 followed by Rodriguez, followed by Eugene.
5 COUNCIL MEMBER BARRON: Ah, thank you,
6 Madam Majority Leader. As has been mentioned, we did
7 celebrate what would have been the 95th, 91st
8 birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King and just to call
9 attention of some of his legacy. It was in 1962 that
10 Dr. King was labeled by the FBI as the most dangerous
11 man in America, and then in 1967 following his
12 pronouncements against the war in Vietnam he was
13 ostracized and said that he felt betrayed by many of
14 the leaders, including some within his own circle.
15 But today, of course, with hindsight, ah, and those
16 who are engaged in the battle for social justice and
17 civil rights we see Dr. King as a man of commitment,
18 conviction, and courage. He was a visionary, not
19 just a dreamer. He was a visionary who thought of
20 matters beyond the immediacy of his own initial
21 advocacy and dared to venture beyond the local and
22 national injustices to this day and to speak out
23 against the evil tentacles of militarism that
24 perpetrated, ah, that are perpetrated by the United
25 States and claim the lives of innocent people in
1 STATED MEETING 65
2 foreign lands. And one of his quotes that is most
3 precious to me is the one that says that the function
4 of education is to teach one to think intensively and
5 to think critically. And he says that intelligence
6 plus character, that is the goal of education. And
7 that gives me a segue into calling attention to the
8 centennial celebration of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, an
9 international black sorority, founded at Howard
10 University in 1920, original founders, as has been
11 cited by my colleague previously, um, Cornegy, who
12 mentioned them in a plaque that he presented, were
13 Arizona Cleaver, Pearl N. Neil, Myrtle Tyler, Viola
14 Taylor, and Fanny Petty. And they are based on the
15 principles of scholarship, service, sisterhood, and
16 final womanhood, and they are a progressive
17 organization that seeks to address the ills of
18 poverty and prejudice. And I'm proud to say that as
19 an undergrad I did pledge Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
20 Thank you.
21 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Congratulations,
22 Council Member Barron. And I would now like to call
23 on Council Members Rodriguez, Eugene, Levin, and then
24 Menchaca.
25
1 STATED MEETING 66
2 COUNCIL MEMBER RODRIGUEZ: Thank you,
3 Majority Leader. First of all, thank you to all to
4 colleagues that become co-prime of the municipal
5 voting rights bill. They are Council Member
6 Menchaca, Dromm, Espinal, Cabrera, Chin, Cohen,
7 Kallos, Miller, Van Bramer, Levin, Reynoso, Rivera,
8 [inaudible] Lander, Cornegy, Adams, Ampry-Samuel,
9 Levin, Louis, Powers, Rosenthal, Diaz, Cumbo, Eugene.
10 Public Advocate, Miller, also supported by the
11 Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Manhattan
12 Borough President Gail Brewer, as also Council Member
13 Perkin, Council Member Richards, Council Member
14 Constantinides, Council Member Torres. The US, when
15 we look at the, according to the US called Title 18
16 it say Section 61, Section 611 say voting by aliens,
17 noncitizens, are authorized to vote in local election
18 if allowed by state. However, no citizens are barred
19 from voting in the following office: Presidents,
20 vice presidents, US Senate, US House of
21 Representatives. I lived from '83 to 2000 with a
22 green card. I washed dishes. I drove a taxi. I
23 worked in a factory. I became a teacher in '93. I
24 taught hundreds of students. I was a co-founder in
25 school. I helped many election, many candidates,
1 STATED MEETING 67
2 from David Dinkins to Assemblyman [inaudible] to
3 Council Member [Linades]. I contribute. I pay
4 taxes. As I, as I lived those year from '83 to today
5 there's close to one million New Yorkers who pay
6 taxes that deserve to have the right to elect their
7 citywide leaders. Thank you, everyone. I'm very
8 proud the [broad] coalition that we have, NAACP, the
9 National Justice, Immigration Coalition, 43 groups,
10 and all of us together. Thank you.
11 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you,
12 Council Member Rodriguez. Now we have Council Member
13 Eugene, Levin, Menchaca, and Yeger.
14 COUNCIL MEMBER EUGENE: Thank you very
15 much, Madam Majority Leader. I would like to speak
16 about Intro 1858, calling on the, for the
17 Administration Code of the New York City to be
18 admitted in relation to sign that are posted at the
19 entrance of New York City park to ensure that they
20 are visible at night. As I speak today, there are
21 large number of honest and hard-working New Yorkers
22 that are issued summons for being on city park land
23 after closing hours. In many instances the people
24 who are issued the summons were unaware of the park
25 hours due to the sign not being visible in the
1 STATED MEETING 68
2 evening hours. Anyone visiting a city park knows all
3 too well that many park do not have operating hours
4 that are posted prominently and that, the warning is
5 difficult, if not impossible, to read at night.
6 Making matters even more difficult and confusing for
7 park visitor is the fact that the hours are of
8 operation are not uniform. The revised
9 Administration Code should clearly make certain that
10 park hours be displayed in luminous lettering and
11 posted in such a manner that someone approach the
12 park sign will immediately see them clearly. It
13 greatly troubles me everything that one of my
14 constituent inform me of being issued a summons for
15 unknowingly being in the park after hours. We have a
16 large number of residents who struggle to make end me
17 in New York City. And many of them, the same people,
18 receive summons for violating a posting that they
19 couldn't see. I ask my colleagues to support this
20 legislation. Thank you very much, Madam Majority
21 Leader. Thank you.
22 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
23 Council Member Levin.
24 COUNCIL MEMBER LEVIN: Ah, thank you,
25 Madam Majority Leader. Ah, I just wanted to follow
1 STATED MEETING 69
2 up on the speaker's remarks about Andy Byford and how
3 effective he's been over these last couple of years
4 in, um, in directing New York City transit. Um, I
5 know, as I said in the pre-Stated press conference, I
6 take the 7 train every morning, which was one train
7 that had the signal upgrades done and I rarely wait
8 more than a minute or two on the platform before the
9 train arrives. Um, I also want to acknowledge Jimmy
10 Van Bramer for, ah, and other council members for
11 advocating for that to happen. But, um, it do hope
12 that the MTA and New York City Transit are able to
13 effectively carry out the plan that Andy Byford has
14 helped develop. And with regard to 1281, um, I just
15 want to ah, associate myself with the comments of
16 Council Member Ritchie Torres on, um, on the validity
17 of this legislation. Um, you know, there are, ah, as
18 he said, 700,000 New Yorkers that are under-banked.
19 Um, they don't have access to a debit card. They
20 don't have access to a credit card. Um, perhaps we
21 should be doing more at the city level to get more
22 people banked. But there are still going to be tens,
23 if not hundreds, of thousands of New Yorkers that
24 won't have access to that. Um, we have a
25 responsibility in this legislative body to make sure
1 STATED MEETING 70
2 that they have access to all the goods and services
3 that anybody else has access to. Um, and, ah, if
4 they currently don't have access to those goods and
5 services, um, then that is, ah, ah, that is a, that
6 is a shame and it's, and it's something that we have
7 every responsibility to correct. Um, so I don't see
8 it as an undue intrusion of government. It is just
9 ensuring that people have a fair shot at all the
10 goods and services offered in this city. Thank you.
11 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you.
12 Council Member Menchaca, finally, and then Council
13 Member Yeger.
14 COUNCIL MEMBER MENCHACA: Thank you. I
15 want to continue and start right off where Council
16 Member Levin spoke to the bill around cash, really
17 access for cash opportunities at retail stores and
18 say that there are multiple pieces to this that we
19 have to consider. Ah, I want to second everything
20 that was said by Council Member, ah, the chief
21 sponsor, Torres. What I also want to remind people
22 that this conversation and what this bill did was
23 also lift up conversations around surveillance, that
24 each of these cards, and anytime you go and purchase
25 anything on a credit card or anything with a
1 STATED MEETING 71
2 technology, a financial technology chip, ah, that
3 data continues to be collected by many different
4 companies. That conversation is connected to
5 something that we all know here around, ah, financial
6 technology chip on IDNYC. We're in the middle of
7 those conversations. The Mayor's Office continues to
8 push, ah, other allies and the unions to bring a
9 financial technology chip to IDNYC. I am against
10 that, and many of you and my colleagues are. But
11 that, that's a conversation that also needs to be had
12 when we talk about cash, ah, the cash economy. Next,
13 I want to talk about 1867, ah, and Council Member
14 Rodriguez, my co-prime sponsor on this bill, ah, and
15 I and so many of you are also in support of restoring
16 the rights of our community members, green card
17 holders and folks who have work authorization to
18 participate in our democracy, and so I hope you can
19 all join in this conversation. This is gonna be a
20 complicated conversation to restore those rights and
21 to allow for our city to embed that voice into our
22 municipal elections. And this is a game-changer for
23 us. We've seen so much of that already in
24 participatory budgeting. All or a majority of those
25 have been cast in non-English ballots. That's what
1 STATED MEETING 72
2 we're talking about. That's what we need to do.
3 Let's do this together. I can't wait. Thank you.
4 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you, and
5 finally Council Member Yeger.
6 COUNCIL MEMBER YEGER: Thank you, Madam
7 President. I want to be very clear for the gentleman
8 who may have been confused. First of all, I
9 appreciate the gentleman's suggestion that I
10 available myself of the opportunity to study law.
11 Thank you for that. And secondly, no integrity was
12 attacked here today, and if he thinks otherwise he
13 ought to review the tape of my remarks. We are
14 imposing a penalty on businesses that fail to comply
15 of up to $1000 a summons on the first go-around. The
16 first time they get smacked with a summons is going
17 to be up to $100. I think we all know that up to
18 means $1000, because that's the way the city does it.
19 So they're gonna look for a new revenue stream.
20 They're gonna find and it's gonna be in the pockets
21 of the small businesses that are making business
22 decisions right now that they choose to accept credit
23 cards and not cash. Are there legitimate reasons for
24 why businesses make that choice? Sure. Do I want
25 businesses to take cash and not to refuse it?
1 STATED MEETING 73
2 Absolutely. I think it's wrong and I think it's
3 dumb. But if they're making the choice, they're
4 making the choice. I'm not assuming that we never
5 regulate business. But, as I said before, there's a
6 good population of the United States, of the world,
7 that is lactose-intolerant. Should every restaurant
8 that offers butter on the table now be forced to put
9 margarine next to it? Is that a requirement so that
10 we are not discriminating against those who can't
11 tolerate lactose. Where does it stop? At what point
12 do we say this is that important, OK, that's where it
13 stops, we're not going any further. It's just on the
14 cash. Should we be changing the tablecloths in
15 restaurants from color to only white so as to not
16 discriminate against those who are color-blind? At
17 what point do we say we're not going to regulate
18 businesses to the point where we are stepping on
19 their throats, as I believe we're doing today. And
20 that's my point. And thank you very much, Madam
21 President.
22 MAJORITY LEADER CUMBO: Thank you. The
23 revised land use call-up vote is now 47 in the
24 affirmative and zero negative. And we will now have
25 closing remarks by Speaker Corey Johnson.
1 STATED MEETING 74
2 SPEAKER JOHNSON: The Stated Meeting of
3 January 23, 2020, is hereby adjourned. Thank you.
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C E R T I F I C A T E
World Wide Dictation certifies that the foregoing transcript is a true and accurate record of the proceedings. We further certify that there is no relation to any of the parties to this action by blood or marriage, and that there is interest in the outcome of this matter.
Date ____February 2, 2020______